Yoenis Tellez’s 2025 was full of highs and lows.

After winning the WBA interim super welterweight title with a dominant unanimous decision over former unified champion Julian Williams on March 1, Tellez suffered his first loss against Abass Baraou via unanimous decision on August 23. Now, with a new team in tow, Tellez has his sights set on a rematch against Baraou in 2026.

The former interim champion took a step in the right direction in his return to the ring Saturday night. He dropped and stopped a tough but overmatched Kendo Castaneda after five rounds at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida.

“I want to be a champion again,” Tellez told The Ring. “I want a rematch against Abass Baraou.”

Tellez’s clash with Baraou was one of the better fights this year, as they went back and forth, controlling the high-paced all-action clash for much of the first 11 rounds. With the fight seemingly still up for grabs, Baraou took over in the 12th round, as he hurt Tellez (11-1, 8 KOs) and dropped him in the final 10 seconds of the fight.

The fight was a de facto world title shot, as Baraou was later elevated to full titlist after Terence Crawford vacated the belt once the first bell rang for his unanimous decision win over Canelo Alvarez on September 13. Germany’s Baraou (17-1, 9 KOs) will face Xander Zayas (22-0, 13 KOs) on January 31 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in a title unification bout for the WBA and WBO 154-pound crowns.

Tellez, 25, has since hired Rob Valle as his new trainer, and their first fight together against Castaneda (21-13, 9 KOs) produced promising results. The decorated Cuban amateur fought much more aggressively and seized full control of the bout in the third round, when he first rocked Castaneda with a chopping right hand before he later dropped him with a left hook to the body.

Tellez, who is ranked No. 4 by the WBA, took his time as he continued to connect with power shots. The decorated Cuban amateur delivered a thorough beating in the fifth round and Castaneda’s corner opted to stop the fight after that round ended.

“I feel fantastic about my training and with my new team,” Tellez said. “I understand how to be a pro, and I was very focused on boxing and in training camp.”